The Fall of Roses
by Snowy Summer
Summary: Dark, the best assassin the world has ever known. Krad, the most ingenious business mogul to ever exist. When the former is hired to kill the latter, things go out of control very, very quickly. Main pairing: DarkxKrad. Side pairing: DaiToshi
1. Pretender

Disclaimer: I don't know how to draw… So go ahead and guess whether or not I own DN Angel.

* * *

_An assassin must honor his employer above all. An assassin must never forsake his promises of murder. Most of all, an assassin must not have feelings for one of his potential victims._

The contractor, Kei Hiwatari, felt his lips curve upward upon reading the file of Dark Mousy. Dark Mousy was also known as The Phantom Thief, the one who stole lives. The best assassin money can buy; he was swift and precise, never missing his target. He could kill under any circumstances. Dark Mousy was not cheap, and most of all, Dark Mousy was difficult to reach. You'd have to go through numerous messengers before you could actually meet the man himself. But Kei was determined to get rid of his business rival. The very thought of the blond billionaire made Kei angry. Imagine. Years of work, years of dominating the industry, and then this…this teen waltzes in and puts his company on top! Kei had been reduced to number two, to the first loser. No matter what the cost, he will have Krad Hikari killed. The boy had his fun; it was time for him to realize that the business world wasn't a game.

He looked at the picture of him, the mayor, the mayor's family and the blond. Kei was just on the side, barely in the picture at all. Krad though…Krad was beside the mayor's wife! He glared; fury and jealousy making him loathe the teen with all his heart. Truth be told, Krad wasn't somebody easily hated. He was charming, tactful, somewhat sly, intelligent and handsome. No, it wasn't easy. But Krad stole his spot in the business world. Yes…That's right. By the end of the year, Krad Hikari would be no more than a mere memory…

oOoOoOo

Dark sighed. He had a new target. Staring at the gorgeous blonde's picture, he noticed something peculiar. The golden eyes were a first. Never before had he encountered another person with golden eyes. But who was he to talk? He had purple eyes. He frowned to himself. Did he really need any more money? _Of course, money means a lot. _But he would love to retire someday. Yes, retire to somewhere rural, where the city life would no longer hound him. He checked his "hotel's" profits. This hotel's purpose wasn't to earn him money, no. It was for him to be able to simply pass off his large amounts of excess money that he so extravagantly spent at times. It was also a rendezvous for his various clients. They would speak to him, believing that he was truly a mere manager. He'd scope them out then. Which ones were trustworthy? Which ones would try to do him in? After picking out the trustworthy ones, he'd cut ties with the more treacherous employers. Then he'd speak to those he deemed well enough and see who they had for him. Well enough, he snorted to himself. Those men were all cowards, afraid to pull the trigger themselves.

He eased into his couch and looked around his condominium unit. Yes, yes, beautiful and modern. Looking at the city below him…All those people running around made him smile. To think, he could kill one of them and nobody would point a finger at him. But ever since that new kid Satoshi Hikari took over the investigation, things were getting a bit more complicated. They nearly caught him the last time!

He scowled. Satoshi Hikari had all the best gadgets money could buy. He was, after all, the pampered younger brother of Krad Hikari, the business mogul. Krad Hikari, his next victim. He wondered what Satoshi's face would look like after he sees his brother sprawled on the ground, a bullet in his temples. He almost laughed. Almost being the keyword. A clumsy redhead burst into his condominium suddenly. The redhead tripped, and Dark broke into a laugh.

"Still a klutz, eh Daisuke?" Dark winked.

"Uh…Yeah." Daisuke scratched his head, embarrassed. His face was a pretty scarlet color now, and his red eyes were looking down in shame. "B-but I came here for a reason!" Daisuke blurted out.

"A reason?" Dark's eyebrow was raised.

"Mom wants you to go eat dinner at our house tonight. It's her birthday. She says it must be lonely for you to live alone here."

Dark smiled at the boy's innocence. Nobody knew about his other job. Would the Niwas truly invite him over for dinner, if they knew he was the top assassin the entire country was keeping an eye out for?

"Why would she care that I feel lonely?" Dark asked out loud.

"Well, Dark-kun, mom has been working for you a long time. You've begun to seem like a son to her." Daisuke began carefully.

Dark laughed. The Niwa family were the only ones who had grown close to his cold heart. If ever they were to turn out to one day be victims, he'd kill his contractor before even promising to get the job done. He would protect the Niwas no matter what. They were the closest thing to friends he had.

"All right, I'll hurry up and meet you guys. Is it a party?" Dark asked, eyes gleaming mischievously.

"Maybe. I'm not sure." Daisuke replied. "I do know that we have another guest coming though."

"Hmm…Okay. See you later, then."

"Yeah, bye."

Dark took a short nap, about an hour long on his soft white bed. His black blanket was thrown off the bed when his alarm clock rang. He got up somewhat reluctantly. He had to buy a gift for Emiko, since he had totally forgot that it was her birthday today. Yes…perhaps a new bracelet? She seemed to adore jewelry. Whistling to himself, he changed into a button up shirt and slacks before leaving.

oOoOoOo

Daisuke let him in, and Dark grinned sheepishly. "Sorry for being late."

"It's okay. Better late than never."

Everyone went to the dinner table, Emiko and Daisuke's grandfather as well as the two of them. Dark noticed three seats were empty. One was Daisuke's, another would be his and…there was a mystery guest coming over. Maybe Daisuke's father, who was a salesman, would come home for his wife's birthday. Dark shrugged it off and handed over the small box to Emiko.

"Happy Birthday." Dark said, sitting down. Emiko, already seated, squealed with delight when she opened the gift.

"You shouldn't have!"

Dark smirked. The only people who could actually make him smile were around him tonight. Tomorrow, he would have to scope out the building where his victim's office was located. Tonight, he'll play the family friend. Tomorrow, he'll once more be the assassin.

"Where is that man?" Emiko asked impatiently.

"He's probably busy, Emiko." Her father rebuked gently. "He'll come by though, he's a good kid." Daiki turned to Dark. "My friend's son is coming over. His father, my friend…died while he was younger, and I had been something of a second father to him. Too bad his younger brother can't make it."

Emiko shook her head. "Those two are married to their work."

The doorbell rang, and Daisuke ran to it. "Ah, good evening! Mom and grandpa were just wondering where you were. They even thought you couldn't make it."

"I missed you too, Daisuke." A silky, honeyed voice snickered. Then, the voice turned light and casual. "Tell her I wouldn't miss it for the world. It's the only day of the year she can't tell me I grew older, as she's growing older."

"Come in."

Dark heard shuffling, and he swore he paled when he saw who the guest was. His soon-to-be victim stood there behind Daisuke. The taller boy was good-looking yes, and he held out a box to Emiko. Emiko accepted it, put it aside for a while and waggled her finger. Dark prayed that perhaps it just wasn't Krad, that it was just a look-alike. He didn't want to hurt anybody close to the Niwas, as this would hurt them indirectly. His hopes were dashed when Emiko greeted the tall blond.

"I heard what you said, Krad-chan. It wasn't very nice."

Krad…Krad Hikari. The one and only, with a unique name and eyes to match the name. This could complicate things.


	2. Poison

AN: Krad and Dark are somewhat OOC. But Daisuke isn't, that much I got right.

* * *

_Just when you thought you've hit rock bottom and that things can't get worse, somebody throws you a shovel and tells you to start digging._

Krad Hikari grinned at everyone in the room. He recognized the Niwas, but who was the purple-eyed man sitting there…staring at him? Well, he supposed it was his golden eyes that attracted the stare….but who was that man to care? He smiled at the man, and he blushed faintly and looked away.

"I'm not nice Emiko-san, because I take after you." Krad taunted, sitting down beside Daiki at the round table.

Daiki laughed at this comment, and Emiko simply ignored it. Daisuke noticed the uncomfortable silence that had come between the two guests and coughed softly. Daiki remembered his manners and stood up, scratching his head in embarrassment.

"Uh, Krad, meet Dark Mousy, a family friend and Emiko's employer. Dark Mousy, let me introduce you to Krad Hikari, whose late father has been a good friend of mine." Daiki began.

Krad smirked and extended his hand for Dark to shake. Dark realized that if he didn't return the gesture, it would make the entire night very awkward. He took the hand and smiled back.

"Good evening, Krad-sempai." Dark greeted.

Krad laughed yet again. "Don't call me that. It makes me feel old…and I'm pretty sure I'm not that much older than you are, Dark-san."

Dark just laughed before sitting down again. Krad took his seat, and the discomfort from a few moments ago disappeared. Emiko served the food, and dinner began.

"Hey, Krad-kun, why couldn't Satoshi-kun come?" Daisuke asked.

"He keeps claiming he's getting closer to finding the identity of the assassin called the Phantom Thief. I doubt it, since he keeps asking for more gadgets and machines." Krad replied nonchalantly, twirling a strand of spaghetti. "Although I disapprove of the Phantom Thief's line of work, I greatly admire the fact that he can throw off even Satoshi."

Dark nearly choked on his food. But he didn't, and drank some water instead. "How's the investigation coming along?" He spoke up, taking it as an opportunity to find out how much chief commander Hikari Satoshi knew.

"Not very well, from what Satoshi tells me. Of course, I'm not allowed to tell you the details, or else I'd have to kill you." Krad teased, smirking.

_Not likely…In fact, I think I'm the one who's going to end up murdering you… _"Haha…Very funny." Dark mocked.

Krad grinned in response.

"I can't believe Satoshi didn't come. Only once in a year…" Emiko complained.

"Don't worry, Emiko. There's still Christmas." Krad answered, grinning. "Also, it might be because you didn't send Dai-chan to invite us personally." Krad ruffled Daisuke's hair. "If you did, how could my dear little brother refuse?"

Daisuke turned into a pretty scarlet color, and Dark had to control himself from panicking right then and there. So to make matters worse, Daisuke had a crush on Satoshi eh? By the time the little get-together was over, Dark and Krad had become well acquainted. It was also quite late.

"See you tomorrow, Emiko!" Dark said.

"See you on Christmas!" Krad said.

"CHRISTMAS?! But that's so far." Emiko protested.

"Don't worry Dai-chan, I'll make sure Satoshi comes along for Christmas." Krad continued.

"EH?!"

"Ja ne," Krad said, grinning.

Dark had already grown attached to that infectious grin. He smiled as well before leaving.

"I expect to do business with you soon, Dark-san." Krad said once they were out the door.

"You can count on it." Dark replied.

"Hey, did you grow up here?" Krad wondered.

"Yeah, I did." Dark answered thoughtfully.

"So did I…Want to walk around?"

"Sure."_ I'll kill him tonight…before things go out of hand. It's for the best._

They walked down the street in silence, their cars still parked outside the Niwa residence. They passed by a burnt down house, and Krad sighed, staring at it.

"No matter how many times I look at it, it still saddens me."

"Huh?"

"This used to be my home. I…lived here with my parents and Satoshi. When I was nine, the house was burnt down by an assassin in a dire attempt to kill my parents. He succeeded, but failed to murder me and my brother. Sometimes, I feel like it's my fault. See, my parents had wanted to go on a family outing that day, but I refused because I wanted to go play with my friends. Satoshi refused to go because I wouldn't be coming, so he went over to the Niwa's house instead. I wonder…if I hadn't refused to go, would they still be alive now?" Krad asked, the night breeze playing with his long golden locks.

Dark stared at Krad for a moment, before averting his gaze to the burnt down house. Whoever that assassin was…he was horrible at his job. He took down an entire house yet failed to take out all his victims.

"When the Niwas took us in, the police placed their house under heavy surveillance until they found the assassin. He was caught trying to break into the room I shared with Satoshi. He would have succeeded in murdering us too, had Satoshi not screamed like a baby." Krad laughed a bit at this. "They never found out who his contractor was, though."

Dark stared at the charred pieces of wood.

"Maybe that's why Satoshi is so intent on getting the Phantom Thief. He's wasting his genius, I tell you. But he's dead set on it. Poor assassin…Satoshi's not gonna give up until he gets it solved. And me…I'm just as bad as he is. I give him all the funding he requires…" He chuckled. "Hey Dark, do you think that if I had agreed to go on a family outing, my parents would still be alive?"

"No." Dark whispered hoarsely. "All of you would be dead instead."

Krad gave Dark a questioning look. "How'd you know?"

"I…I just know these things." Dark gave a weak smile._ If you knew I was an assassin…you'd hate me as well._

"Ah, was that too depressing for you? I'm sorry." Krad smiled apologetically.

"No, it's okay. My mom is dead too. She raised me alone, since my dad left her. She died of cancer three years ago." He shook his head.

_It was for her that I became an assassin…To pay for the treatments…But in the end, I failed anyway._

"I'm sorry to hear that." Krad replied. They stayed there in silence until Krad's phone rang. "Excuse me."

"Moshi-moshi? Ah, Satoshi! Ahahaha, I'm just here at our old house with a friend. That's because I'm not with the Niwas anymore! Yes, I'm at our first house. Well, it's quite near, so I figured that I might as well just walk here. Don't worry, I won't be murdered. Who'd want to murder me?"

Dark felt his blood run cold.

Krad laughed once more. "Kei? Kei's an okay person. He doesn't hate me. Really, Satoshi, you're paranoid." Krad's voice softened. "Yeah, all right. I'll be heading home if you're so upset. I didn't know you missed me that much." Krad snapped his phone shut and turned to Dark.

"I'm really sorry, but I have to go. Satoshi's very, very jumpy now. He's probably watching the news, half-expecting the sudden news of me being found dead." Krad laughed, and Dark smiled.

"Bye, I'll see you soon." Krad grinned and left Dark standing there.

Dark felt like a failure. He had been alone with Krad, had the perfect chance to kill, and blew it. The question was, could he bring himself to kill the charming billionaire now?

oOoOoOo

Satoshi glared at his brother, who had just arrived.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to come home a bit later than expected?" Satoshi demanded.

"Last time I checked, I was the older brother." Krad replied, smiling.

Satoshi scowled. "You could at least get a bodyguard. It would give me some peace of mind."

"If I get a bodyguard, he'd annoy me. Also, I'd be easier to pick out than I already am then, because they wouldn't exactly be inconspicuous." Krad replied, putting his keys on the counter before heading upstairs.

Satoshi frowned even more. Sure, living in a nice, three-storey house alone with his brother was fun, but he hated how Krad could be so carefree sometimes. He shivered, remembering that night when the assassin had almost murdered Krad.

_Four year old Satoshi woke up to some soft thrashing noises being made. He was a light sleeper, after all. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw Krad being thrown against the wall by an assailant. His eyes widened. There was a soft thud as Krad hit the wall. The damn police that were on duty must have fallen asleep, and he was now going to lose his last blood relative. So he screamed._

"_ONII-CHAN!!"_

_Now most four year olds would have just sat there screaming. But Satoshi was a genius, and he knew to some extent that he would be attacked as well if he didn't do something about it. Sure enough, the assassin approached him, but Krad grabbed on to the assassin's ankle._

"_Don't. Touch. Him." Krad threatened._

_The assassin shook Krad's hand off, and had grabbed Satoshi's arm when Satoshi shouted again, even louder this time. Krad grabbed the lamp from their nightstand and smashed it onto the assassin's back. The assassin turned to Krad, furious. It was then that Daiki came in, carrying a baseball bat. He was somewhat old, and not very strong. The assailant turned to Daiki, and it was then that the police came running in. Outnumbered, the assassin tried to run but was caught. Satoshi didn't stop crying for a long time._

"_Krad, you, why didn't you call for help?"_

"_I tried to."_

"_You…You wanted to die, didn't you?"_

_Krad didn't answer._

"_Well don't! Because I don't want to be alone." Satoshi sniffed. "Be happier, more carefree."_

Right now, Satoshi thought that Krad took him far too seriously back then. He sighed. Well, it was better than Krad being suicidal. He turned off the television.

"Hey, idiot!! What were you doing there anyway?" He called, going upstairs as well. He may sound like a very protective brother, but he wasn't about to let his brother die.

"I have a new friend!" came the muffled answer.

"What's his name?"

"Dark Mousy!"

Dark Mousy huh? Well, Satoshi was going to find out all the dirt about this guy. No way was he letting Krad hang out with a total stranger who might be an assassin in disguise.

"Satoshi?"

"What?"

"You're going to research on him, aren't you? Paranoid little bastard."

"…" Satoshi sighed. Maybe he really was paranoid…Then he dismissed the thought. Him? Paranoid? No way.


End file.
